Skip to main content

Copyright commission to raid MP3 pirates nationwide

Nigerian Copyright Commission logo

Nigerian Copyright Commission logo

The Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission(NCC), Mr Afam Ezekude says the commission will soon embark on a nationwide raid of MP3 dealers and outlets across Nigeria.

Ezekude who spoke in Abuja on Friday, said; “we are set to clamp down heavily on pirates who deal in MP3 across the country’’.

“It is a relatively new form of piracy, and it will no longer be business as usually for people who download and sell other people’s music using the MP3.

“This anti-piracy raid on MP3 will state in major cities known to be piracy hubs across the six geo-political zones,” Ezekude said.

According to him, the planned invasion of MP3 dealers is to further reaffirm the commission’s zero tolerance stand against piracy in all its forms.

He added that the commission was conducting anti-piracy surveillance exercises across major markets and streets within some cities.

“Alaba is the hub of piracy in Lagos, so the commissions operations in the South West will be focused on the market within this period.

“Other towns such as Ilorin, Ibadan, Yola, Kaduna, Enugu, Benin City, as well as the Federal Capital Territory will also be checked,’’ he noted.

Ezekude stated that the raid would serve as a warning to those planning to venture into MP3 business that it was no longer a lucrative venture.

“The era in which pirates enrich themselves through fake products, thereby undermining the sales and distribution of legitimate products is over,” he warned.

He also commended other enforcement agencies, especially the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Customs Service for their collaborative roles in the commission’s fight against piracy.

The MP3, short for MPEG-1 Layer 3, is a compression standard that can compress music files, while maintaining the same quality.

It is this great decrease in size that has attracted the attention of many pirates.

With an average modem, it only takes a few minutes to download a song.

This type of device comes in the form of a car stereo, a portable discman type device, and a home entertainment device which will also play DVDs.

While the MP3 compression technology is not illegal, the distribution of MP3 files without the copyright owners consent is a violation of the copyright law.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Houthis Claim Attack on Central Israel in Response to Gaza ‘Massacres’

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has taken a concerning regional turn as the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for an attack on central Israel. The group announced this as part of their escalating response to what they describe as "massacres" in Gaza amid the Israeli military’s operations in the strip. Details of the Attack The Houthis, a Shiite militant group with ties to Iran, declared that they launched missile and drone strikes targeting Israel. While the exact impact of these attacks remains unclear, reports suggest that Israel’s defense systems intercepted several threats over its airspace. This marks a significant escalation as the Houthis widen their involvement in the conflict beyond their typical operations within Yemen and neighboring Saudi Arabia. The Houthis’ Justification In their statement, the Houthis framed the attack as retaliation for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, which they characterized as indiscriminate bombings resultin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fire: UniJos Senate convenes emergency meeting on Monday

Fire at the University of Jos Library University of Jos is to convene an emergency senate meeting on Monday to review the level of damage done to the institution by the Saturday night inferno. The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Sebastian Maimako, disclosed this on Sunday after inspecting areas affected by the incident. The fire, which lasted for more than six hours, destroyed the Library Complex that equally houses the faculties of management and social sciences. The fire also destroyed examination scripts, books and very crucial materials. Consequently, the vice-chancellor said “the Senate will meet tomorrow (Monday) to take a decision about the unmarked examination scripts that were burnt.” On the cause of the inferno, Maimako said investigation had commenced, adding that “nothing has been confirmed yet. We are still investigating.” The vice chancellor said the school was already working with federal authorities toward establishing a main fire station since the mini fire station in t...
Post a Comment
Read more